The present invention relates to food mixers.
The invention relates to mixers typically used for mixing cake ingredients. Such mixers conventionally have a pair of counter-rotating beaters which extend downwardly from a mixing head into a mixing bowl. The beaters are offset from the vertical center axis of the bowl such that, upon rotation of the bowl, all of the cake ingredients are blended by the beaters.
Such food mixers include a base having a turntable or carousel upon which the mixing bowl sits. From the base there extends a post upon which there is pivotally mounted a mixing head from which the beaters depend. A powerful electric motor situated within the head is connected by transmission means to the beaters. In some machines, torque output from this motor is also transferred via a mechanical transmission to the base so as to effect rotation of the turntable or carousel. In less expensive machines, the turntable rotates as a result of the interaction of the beaters with the ingredients in the bowl. There is a significant loss of the motor""s torque in the mechanical transmission from the motor to the base and turntable. For this reason, it is necessary to use an expensive motor having a torque output not only sufficient to drive the beaters through the cake ingredients but also to overcome mechanical losses in transmission to the turntable.
Also known are hand-held mixers having a pair of counter-rotating beaters depending therefrom. Such devices can be used conveniently by holding the device over a mixing bowl, saucepan or other vessel and maneuvering the device such that the motor-driven beaters are moved manually about the vessel for thorough mixing. Such a hand-held device can also be used in conjunction with a base having a rotatable turntable upon which a bowl sits. Such devices have an auxiliary output shaft from the motor for coupling to a transmission mechanism in the base to effect rotation of the turntable. These mixers suffer from the same problems as those fixed-head mixers discussed above.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages.
There is disclosed herein a food mixer having a base, a rotatable member mounted on the base and adapted to receive and support a bowl to be rotated by the member, a first motor drivingly connected to the rotatable member and located within the base and operable to drive the member, a head fixed to the base, at least one beater connector supported by the head and configured to receive and rotate a beater to extend into the bowl, and a second motor drivingly connected to the connector and located within the head to cause rotation of each connector.
Preferably the head is affixed to the base so as to pivot about a horizontal axis.
Preferably the mixer includes a control circuit electrically connected to the first and second motors to ensure a correlation between an operating rotational speed of each motor.
Preferably the control circuit includes two speed controls, one for adjusting an operational rotational speed of the connector, and the other for changing a correlation between the operation rotational speed of the connector and an operational rotational speed of the rotatable member.
In an alternative preferred form the food mixer further includes a user manipulated member that is moved by the user to control the speed of the first and second motors so that there is a correlation between the speed of a first motor and the speed of a second motor.
Preferably the food mixer includes a pair of variable resistance potentiometers operated by the user manipulated member, each potentiometer being associated with a respective one of the motors so as to govern the speed thereof.
Preferably, the user manipulated member is a dial that is moved angularly to cause operation of the potentiometers.
There is further disclosed herein a food mixer having a base, a rotatable member mounted on the base and adapted to receive and support a bowl to be rotated by the member, a first motor drivingly connected to the rotatable member and located within the base and operable to drive the member, a head mounted on the base, at least one beater connector supported by the head and configured to receive and rotate a beater to extend into the bowl, a second motor drivingly connected to the connector and located within the head to cause rotation of each connector, a user manipulated member that is moved by a user to govern the speed of the first and second motors to ensure there is a correlation between the speed of the first motor and the speed of the second motor, and an electric circuit operated by the user manipulated member to deliver electric power to the first motor and the second motor.
Preferably the electric circuit includes a pair of variable resistance potentiometers operated by the user manipulated member, each potentiometer being associated with a respective one of the electric motors to control the speed thereof.
Preferably the user manipulated member is a dial that is moved angularly to cause movement of the potentiometers.
Mounted to the head 12 is an electric control circuit 19 including a beater speed control dial 17 and a bowl speed control dial 18. Both dials 17 and 18 are moved angularly about the axis 33 to control the speed of the motors 13 and 25.